Tahalka Today Investigation | Syed Rizwan Mustafa
Kathmandu/New Delhi:
A devastating flood that struck Nepal on August 26, 2026, has shaken the entire Himalayan region.
The massive collapse of glaciers/ice and rocks into the river triggered a destructive debris flow and floodwaters, sweeping away settlements, roads, bridges and critical infrastructure.
By August 27, around 1,500 people were reported missing across Nepal and Tibet in China, including more than 700 foreign nationals. At least 165 deaths had been confirmed in Nepal, while rescue and relief operations continued.
But amid this natural catastrophe, another question is increasingly being raised—
Is Nepal merely a destination for tourism and pilgrimage, or has it also become an important arena for major geopolitical competition between India and China?
And if the presence of foreign institutions, networks and influential organisations in Nepal is expanding, then—
How closely are Indian security agencies monitoring this entire network?
826 Missing, 476 Foreign Tourists—Who Are They?
According to the latest figures from Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, 826 people were reported missing in the floods as of August 27.
According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 590 of them were tourists, including 476 foreign tourists and 114 Nepali tourists.
Among the missing foreign tourists were reportedly:
- 🇮🇳 India — 177
- 🇺🇸 United States — 63
- 🇺🇦 Ukraine — 53
- 🇦🇺 Australia — 34
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom — 33
- 🇨🇦 Canada — 25
These figures, by themselves, do not constitute evidence of a foreign conspiracy.
However, they do show that the Himalayan corridor affected by the disaster is a region with substantial movement of people from Nepal, India, China and other countries.
The Nepal-Tibet Figure Is Even Bigger
In addition to the 826 people missing in Nepal, 558 people were reported missing in Gyirong County in Tibet, China.
According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, 260 foreign nationals were among those missing.
Taken together, nearly 1,500 people are reported missing across Nepal and Tibet, with more than 700 foreign nationals among them.
The scale of the tragedy has triggered international concern.
The region is particularly significant because it is an important route for tourists and pilgrims travelling between Kathmandu and Tibet.
The Number of Missing Americans Is Also Striking
Among the missing foreign tourists in Nepal, 63 are reportedly American citizens.
But an important distinction must be made here:
Does the presence or disappearance of 63 American citizens prove an American intelligence operation?
No.
Available records indicate that the United States is a major source of tourists visiting Nepal.
According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 112,316 U.S. citizens visited Nepal in 2025, making the United States Nepal’s second-largest tourist-generating market.
Therefore, the real investigative question is not simply—
“Why did Americans come to Nepal?”
The more important questions are:
“Among these foreign visitors, who were tourists, who were businesspeople, who were associated with NGOs/INGOs, and who—if anyone—was connected to political or strategic organisations?”
That is the difference between an investigation and speculation.
How Deep Is the U.S. Presence in Nepal?
This is not a hidden fact.
The U.S. government itself identifies USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), trade, security and defence cooperation, and humanitarian assistance among the major areas of U.S.-Nepal engagement.
The most prominent example is—
The Millennium Challenge Corporation—MCC
According to the MCC’s 2025 Annual Report, the United States has a $550 million Compact with Nepal.
The Nepalese government has committed an additional $197 million.
The total programme therefore amounts to approximately $747 million.
The programme includes electricity transmission infrastructure, road projects and infrastructure intended to facilitate Nepal-India power trade.
According to MCC, approximately 297 kilometres of transmission lines, three substations and a cross-border transmission segment connected to the Indian border are among its major components.
Therefore—
The U.S. economic and institutional presence in Nepal is real and documented.
But—
Does this prove anti-India activity?
No.
The available official documents do not establish such a conclusion.
Israel Is Also a Longstanding Partner of Nepal
Nepal and Israel established diplomatic relations on June 1, 1960.
According to Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nepal was the first country in South Asia to establish formal diplomatic relations with Israel.
The two countries have maintained cooperation in areas including agriculture, education, human resources, technology, energy and development.
Therefore, Israel’s presence in Nepal is neither new nor inherently secret.
Nepal’s Immigration records also recorded 132 Israeli arrivals in July 2025.
But—
The arrival of 132 Israeli citizens in Nepal is not, by itself, evidence of a Mossad intelligence operation.
Therefore, the investigation needs to go deeper.
The Question of Alleged CIA and Mossad “Bases”
This is the most sensitive part of the story.
The diplomatic, developmental and institutional presence of the United States and Israel in Nepal is documented.
However, there is currently no publicly available conclusive evidence establishing that CIA or Mossad maintains a secret base in Nepal for anti-India operations.
Nevertheless, legitimate investigative questions remain:
Are there any intelligence-monitoring reports concerning foreign intelligence-linked activities in Nepal?
What are the ultimate sources of funds received by foreign NGOs and INGOs?
How many direct links exist between foreign organisations and Nepalese political groups?
Does Nepal maintain a separate record of political activities undertaken by foreign nationals?
Has any activity relating to India’s borders, politics, energy infrastructure or national security been conducted from Nepalese territory?
And if so, where is the documentary evidence?
The 2025 Gen-Z Movement: How Did Questions of Foreign Influence Arise?
In 2025, Nepal’s Gen-Z movement shook the government of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.
According to Reuters, the movement was driven largely by domestic issues including corruption, economic inequality, unemployment and the government’s social-media restrictions.
At least 19 people were killed during the protests, and the political crisis ultimately led to Oli’s resignation.
But questions about foreign influence and online manipulation also emerged during the movement.
Israeli AI company Cyabra published a report in September 2025 claiming that, within its sample of 3,685 X profiles connected to the Nepal protests, approximately one-third were identified as “inauthentic” and that these accounts amplified protest-related narratives.
However, caution is essential.
The Kathmandu Post subsequently raised questions about Cyabra’s methodology and the definition of “fake” or “inauthentic” accounts.
Therefore—
Evidence of online manipulation and proof that the CIA or Mossad orchestrated the movement are two entirely different things.
The first can justify further investigation.
The second requires concrete evidence.
Did Nature’s Fury Expose a Conspiracy?
There is currently no scientific evidence establishing that Nepal’s present disaster was the result of a foreign conspiracy or a supernatural punishment for the alleged wrongdoing of any country.
The available scientific picture points towards a natural geological and glacial event, involving the collapse of ice/rock and the resulting debris flow and flooding.
The tragedy nevertheless reveals another undeniable reality—
Human power is extremely small compared with the forces of nature.
Expensive hotels, luxury vehicles, millions in wealth or foreign passports—
none can guarantee protection against a sudden Himalayan disaster.
One powerful surge of water can sweep away everything.
The Hunger of the Poor vs. the Wealth of Excess
The greatest lesson from such a tragedy is humanity.
Instead of wasting wealth on extravagance, display and excessive luxury—
Feed a hungry person.
Keep a poor family’s kitchen running.
Help someone pay for medical treatment.
Support a family that has lost its home.
Because wealth, political power, luxury hotels and an extravagant lifestyle all remain behind.
A person ultimately carries only their deeds with them.
Tehelka Today’s Direct Questions
Foreign presence in Nepal is not new.
The documented $747 million MCC programme between the United States and Nepal is a fact.
The presence of 112,316 American visitors in Nepal in 2025 is a Nepal Tourism Board figure.
Nepal’s diplomatic relationship with Israel dates back to 1960, according to Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Cyabra report on online manipulation during the 2025 Gen-Z protests also exists, although questions have been raised regarding its methodology.
And now—
826 people are reported missing in Nepal, including 476 foreign tourists.
Across Nepal and Tibet, more than 700 foreign nationals are reportedly missing.
But these facts alone do not justify declaring a “CIA-Mossad base” in Nepal.
The real investigation should now begin.
The Nepalese government should answer:
Who came?
For what purpose?
Which organisation were they associated with?
Whom did they meet?
Where did they stay?
Which organisations received foreign funding?
Where did that money come from?
And did any foreign network have a documented connection with anti-India activities?
If the answer is no, then the rumours should be exposed.
If the answer is yes, then—
The documents must be made public.
Because when national security is involved, neither blind trust nor allegations without evidence should be acceptable.
How Deep Is Foreign Influence on Nepalese Territory?
Is it simply tourism, development and diplomatic cooperation—or is there a strategic network whose deeper layers have yet to be uncovered?
The Himalayan disaster has already taken hundreds of lives.
Now there is a need for records, evidence and transparent investigation—not rumours.
